CURATING THE VIBE

Music advocate Kari Leigh Ames sets the
stage for creativity, from behind the scenes

By Brittney McKenna

Even if you’ve never met Kari Leigh Ames
personally, there’s a good chance you’ve
encountered some of her handiwork
around town.
A real estate agent by day, Ames spends her
free time as a fierce advocate of Nashville’s
music scene: She co-founded Far Out Fest, a psychedelic
music festival that launched in 2017, and started “multimedia
kinetic light show” Labrys, performing at venues
across the city and touring with acts like local band
Ttotals. She also DJs at Nashville’s freeform community
radio station, WXNA, and volunteers at the Tennessee
Teens Rock Camp.
Though Ames, who was born in Michigan but moved
to Nashville during her formative years, is a trained visual
artist, her heart keeps leading her back to work in
and around music. It’s a passion she in part attributes
to her family: Her father, Mike Waldron, is a successful
local bandleader who has worked with Lee Ann
Womack and Martina McBride, while her stepmother,
Marcia Ramirez, currently sings backup vocals for
Christopher Cross.
“I never really was interested in being in the music
industry as a professional musician, the way my parents
and most of my friends are,” Ames says. “But I felt I had a
unique understanding of the industry, and felt very comfortable
in those scenes because I grew up watching my
parents backstage at concerts. … I think I like to be curating
the vibe, but not necessarily the center of attention.”
Ames gets ample vibe-curation time with Far Out
Fest, created alongside Brianne O’Neill. The festival
draws musicians and visual artists from around the
country, and along with offering psychedelic music,
art installations, and more (Far Out’s second iteration,
hosted earlier this year, featured an accompanying film
festival at Third Man Records), the team also uses the
event to promote the potential healing properties of
properly used psychedelic substances. Ames says they’ll
introduce a recycling component to the festival in
2019, too.
“Since Far Out Fest is run primarily by women, we’re
tuned in to the hospitality vibe really hard,” she says.
“We really try to make it worthwhile for the guests and
make the venues really happy, but also treat the artists
really well. From my time in the music industry, I’ve
seen a lot of mistreatment of artists. I’m really trying to
bring a platform to all of these people.”
Ames also donates five percent of her real estate
commission earnings to Tennessee Teens Rock Camp,
which she says “encourages kids to be themselves,” and
reminds her to “destroy the cool,” a catchphrase the
camp uses to encourage teens to follow their passions
without fear of how others might perceive them.
“I don’t like dealing with people who are too cool for
school,” Ames says. “I like people who are authentic and
genuine and passionate, and aren’t acting like you’ve
been bestowed with a gift from God by having their
presence as part of your event. I don’t dig that.”